Epidemiologist from the Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia (FKM UI), Pandu Riono, asked President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to prioritize Covid-19 vaccination for the elderly group.
The request is specifically for the elderly in 10 regions that implement the Community Activity Restriction Enforcement (PPKM). This is because, of the 10 regions, only DKI Jakarta has the vaccination rate above 50 percent.
“Pak @jokowi, please prioritize the vaccination of the elderly in 10 areas that apply PPKM. Only @DKIJakarta has achieved more than 50 percent,” he tweeted @drpriono quoted on Friday (2/4).
He said that prioritizing vaccines for the elderly is important to pursue so that the death rate can be suppressed before and if there is a spike in cases originating from a new, more virulent variant of the virus.
Quoting data from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) as of April 1, 2021, the number of elderly people who had received the new vaccine was 7.76 percent or 1.67 million people for the first stage vaccine and 0.99 percent or 213.3 thousand people for the second stage. Berita politik
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This achievement is far from the target of 21.5 million people.
Acting Director General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health Maxi Rein Rondonuwu said the reason for the slow rate of vaccination for the elderly was due to the increasing number of family members who did not give their blessing. Berita Terkini
“The concern is not for the elderly, but for their children,” he said on Wednesday (31/3).
Maxi admitted that he had received complaints and reports from the Health Office (Dinkes) such as in DKI Jakarta. Elderly, he continued, have a high desire to be vaccinated, but their child’s concern is one of the obstacles in the government program.
Maxi will conduct massive outreach to families who have elderly people at home.
Maxi said that the potential for death faced by elderly people exposed to Covid-19 is very high, so it needs preventive efforts to prevent transmission of the corona virus to the elderly. Berita hari ini
“The elderly and the Health Office are committed, they have made an appointment door to door to the apartment. But when the officers arrive, only 25 percent are willing. Because most of them are protected by their children,” he added.
Maxi admitted that the low participation of the elderly in the vaccination program was also caused by access to information and transportation.
Seeing this condition, Maxi said that the Ministry of Health would collaborate between ministries or agencies to improve vaccination services in non-health facilities. Vitamin dan Suplemen
“Actually, the willingness of the elderly is very high, but there are limitations to it,” concluded Maxi.
